Former Homicide Prosecutor Joins Walter Clark Legal Group

Nov 15,2019

Manny Bustamante, a Senior Deputy District Attorney, has joined the Walter Clark Legal Group. He accepted the new position after nearly 13-years with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In his new role, he will continue to be a voice for victims in personal injury cases.

Less than two months after starting, Bustamante has already completed his first civil trial as an attorney with the Walter Clark Legal Group. Bustamante represented a local commercial vehicle mechanic who suffered from shoulder and back pain after a rear-end collision in 2015. The defendant’s insurance company initially offered to pay $14,000 in damages, but refused to provide additional compensation, claiming the client’s injuries were the result of a pre-existing condition from his work. After a three and a half week trial, the jury returned a verdict awarding Bustamante’s client $889,000 including $500,000 for physical and emotional damages.

In his last jury trial with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Bustamante was a co-prosecutor in the case of two Palm Springs Police officers, Jose Gilbert Vega and Leslie Marie Zerebny, killed in the line of duty on October 8, 2016. The jury convicted the defendant and recommended a death sentence for each capital murder. The defendant was sentenced to two death sentences plus 368 years to life on August 30, 2019.

Bustamante is grateful to be able to practice law in the Coachella Valley. “It has been an honor to be able to contribute and do my small part to make our community safer and better for everyone who calls it home,” he said.

Learning More About Bustamante

Bustamante attended Cathedral City High School before continuing on to California State University San Bernardino to receive his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Pepperdine School of Law to earn his Juris Doctorate. As a prosecutor, Bustamante prosecuted numerous jury trials involving serious and violent felonies. His last eight years were in the Homicide Unit, where he exclusively prosecuted complex and difficult homicide cases. Bustamante received multiple awards for his service, including Prosecutor of the Year recognition four separate years. He served as an elected board member for the Riverside County Deputy District Attorney’s Association. He is a member of the Desert Bar Association and has been an adjunct professor at his alma mater, California State University San Bernardino, for the last ten years. Bustamante and his wife, Amity, who is also a practicing attorney, currently reside in the Coachella Valley with their children.

About Walter Clark Legal Group

Walter Clark Legal Group is a law firm specializing in personal injury, serving the Coachella Valley, Victor Valley, Morongo Basin, and El Centro areas of Southern California. Walter Clark is a board-certified specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocates and the State of California and is also a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates.

Interview and photo opportunities are available. To schedule, please contact Sarah Romero at (760) 485-4321.